Bryan Promotes McAuley To Head Baseball Coach

Thursday, August 9, 2018

After seven seasons as a member of the Bryan College baseball coaching staff, with the past five of them spent as the associate head coach alongside previous head coach and athletic director, Taylor Hasty, it was this week when the college was proud to announce the promotion of Clint McAuley to the new head coach of the Lions baseball team.

While with the Lions, McAuley’s primary responsibilities have included overseeing the pitching staff and coordinating recruitment. McAuley came to the Lions from Northeast Mississippi Community College where he was instrumental in coaching a program that won 74 games over three years, including 33 in his first year there.

Prior to joining the Tigers in Mississippi, McAuley served as pitching coach and lead recruiter for NCAA Division I Siena College in Loudonville, NY. While with the Saints, McAuley helped the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school to a 30-26 record, including a berth in the MAAC championship game. The Saints won their last 10 regular season games and 17 of their last 19 prior to entering the MAAC tournament.

Before heading north to join the coaching staff at Siena, McAuley was the pitching coach at Louisiana State University at Eunice. During his time at Eunice, the pitching corps posted a school record 2.07 ERA and 465 strikeouts on their way to the 2006 NJCAA Division II National Championship. McAuley coached four pitchers at Eunice who were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

McAuley began his career by coaching at East Texas Baptist University, where he also played and was a conference starter on the mound, giving way to recognition as an All-ASC East Division honoree and an honorable mention to the NCCAA All-America Team at first base. He has also been an assistant for the Bluff City Bombers in the Central Illinois Collegiate League and the Harrisonburg Turks of the Valley League. In McAuley’s 15-year career, he has coached 30 Major League Draft picks.

The Winnsboro, Texas native has helped lead the Lion Pride to great success during his years spent on the hill. The first season with Bryan, McAuley played a part in the team reaching the 40-win mark, the first time it had happened in program history as the squad finished 41-18 overall, including 17-7 in conference play. Since McAuley has been at Bryan, the team owns a 38-wins average each season while growing into not only an Appalachian Athletic Conference powerhouse but also a perennial top-ranking team in the country. In 2018, Bryan had their most successful regular-season in program history when they battled for a remarkable 38-13 (41-17 overall) regular-season record and 21-6 mark in AAC action to capture the program’s first-ever AAC Regular-Season Championship. The team also saw a No. 9 ranking in the NAIA Coaches’ Top-25 poll, which is the highest the Lions have ever seen. Since Bryan is recognized as one of the top teams in the country, the 2018 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Postseason Top-25 poll reflected the reputation with the Lions ranking 14th. In addition to last year’s historic run, McAuley has been a part of the Lions seizing an AAC Tournament crown and the program’s first trip to the Opening Round of the NAIA Baseball Tournament. Under his supervision of the mound, McAuley has had numerous pitchers break program records, including the first Bryan hurler in program history to be named to the All-AAC First Team and since, have had several more added to the list, another awarded AAC Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, Bryan’s first NAIA Pitcher of the Week, and just last season had an individual set many new program bests while garnering NAIA All-American First Team, Newcomer of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and earned a place on the AAC Gold Glove Team.

“I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to lead the baseball program here at Bryan,” said Coach McAuley. “I’d like to thank Mike Keen and the Bryan administration for giving me their confidence by appointing me the head baseball coach. This is a place that is close to my heart, and I am excited to continue the tremendous culture put in place by Coach Hasty. I look forward to further developing the quality reputation of the Bryan baseball program within the institution and throughout both the league and NAIA. I am also grateful to continue guiding our team to compete at a high level while walking alongside and shepherding these young men in their pursuit of Christ.”

McAuley graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in history while also holding a Master’s degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy. He and his wife, Carly, currently reside in Dayton, Tenn., with their daughter Sarah and son Dean.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the renewal of the historic series between the Tennessee Lady Volunteers and the UConn Huskies, starting in the 2019-20 season. As a longstanding rivalry, the teams consistently met from 1995-2007 but have not faced each other since. Widely regarded as the two most successful women's programs in the country, Tennessee ... (click for more)

City officials said Tuesday they will delay action on the proposal to surplus three buildings near City Hall. Stacy Richardson, chief of staff to Mayor Andy Berke, said the staff still does not have all the answers to questions raised about the plan. She said the staff is still convinced that moving the buildings to the private market as part of the Innovation District would ... (click for more)

A hearing has been delayed on a lawsuit brought by the Tennessee Democratic Party seeking to keep Republican Robin Smith off the ballot in House District 26. Ms. Smith was the only candidate after longtime Rep. Gerald McCormick abruptly announced he was leaving his post to move to Nashville. Chancellor Jeff Atherton on Monday afternoon said he could not take the case until ... (click for more)

The city of Chattanooga currently has no history center or museum. That is because several years ago it was conveyed to the public, in the blinking of an eye, that $9 million that had been raised mysteriously vanished for reasons unexplainable to this date. In the meantime, valuable artifacts and collections are sitting in cellars, basements and storage facilities instead of being ... (click for more)

There was a time, not so long ago, when school-aged children would learn lessons from a prescribed text, such as a textbook. Today texting is far, far different and, as any of our teachers will tell us, cell phones have become the scourge of education. In almost every classroom, kids will silently text in the shadow of the desk in front of them rather than focus on the lesson. Yet ... (click for more)